– There are three tournaments left to complete the season on the Ladies European Tour. Or rather, two and a half. The first is the Wistron Ladies Open taking place this week in Taiwan, the next is the Aramco China Championship in two weeks, and the last is the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España. Therefore, there are very few opportunities left to achieve each player’s respective goals. Today we focus on the Spanish players and the battle to retain their tour card for 2026.
– There are six players who (with nuances) have already secured it regardless of what happens in these three events:
· Nuria Iturrioz, who has won this year and has at least two more years of exemption secured. 13th place in the Order of Merit.
· Luna Sobrón, who will surely finish in the top 70 of the Order of Merit. 20th place in the ranking.
· Carlota Ciganda, as the winner of the Open de España last year. 55th place in the ranking.
· Marta Martín, as the winner last year of the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open. 73rd place in the Order of Merit.
· Carmen Alonso, who has a medical exemption for next year. This season she has only been able to play eight tournaments. The nuance with Carmen is that it’s not about having the card secured, but she does have a minimum number of tournaments guaranteed to achieve the same points as the player who finishes in 70th place this year when the season ends. She has no ranking because she hasn’t made any cuts in those eight tournaments.
· Fátima Fernández Cano: Identical situation to Carmen. She has a medical exemption for next year after undergoing hip surgery. She is in 103rd place in the ranking. She would need to match the points achieved this year by the player who finishes in 70th place.
– And now we move on to the specific cases of those who do not have it guaranteed as of today:
· Ana Peláez: She is in 63rd place in the ranking and is well on her way to finishing among the top 70, although not guaranteed. She needs to score something in the remaining three weeks. She is doing well in Taiwan.
· Blanca Fernández: She is in 64th place in the ranking in her rookie year and coming from the School. Very similar situation to Ana, with the exception that she is not playing this week in Taiwan because she didn’t get in. At least, the Madrid native has received an invitation to play the Aramco China Championship, where she also didn’t get in. There, and in the Open de España, she can earn the necessary points to finish among the top 70.
· Teresa Toscano: She is in 99th place and is not in Taiwan. For now, she is not getting into China or the Open de España either. She is 14th reserve in China and 13th in Spain. She could receive an invitation to play in Andalucía, but as it is a no-cut tournament, the points she earns would not count for the ranking unless she wins. In other words, she would only benefit from winning in Málaga if she doesn’t get into China or Spain through her category.
· Marta Sanz: She is in 100th place in the Order of Merit. Similar situation to Teresa, with an important nuance. Marta does have an invitation to play in China, so in that tournament, where there is a cut, she can earn points for the ranking and fight to get into the top 70.
· María Hernández: She is in 105th place in the ranking. She is in a critical situation. The positive is that she plays all three tournaments. She is in Taiwan, will play in China, and, of course, in the Open de España. In these three weeks, she needs to earn a good haul of points to secure her card.
· Harang Lee: She is in 114th place in the ranking. Same situation as Teresa Toscano. She is not getting into China and is the 23rd reserve in the Open de España. For now, she is not playing anymore. If she is invited to play in Málaga, which cannot be ruled out, she would need to win to retain her LET playing rights.
· Amaia Latorre: She is in 129th place. She is in the same situation as Toscano and Lee. 34th reserve in the Open de España.
· Azahara Muñoz: She is in 184th place in the Order of Merit. She is invited to the Open de España. She would need to win the tournament to secure her card for next year.
Important considerations:
– The top 70 in the ranking retain their LET card.
– From 71st to 80th place, they have a conditional card that would allow them to play a good number of tournaments, although they would need to perform well as there are re-rankings in this category.
– Those who lose their card can always regain it through the School. The top 20 in the Final receive a very good category.
